Features Research Archives

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Dana Spicer Hub/Lok Hubs

• CATEGORIES: Features • TAGS: This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

UPDATE: Unlike the other Hub Lok hubs made for jeeps, this Hub Lok hub model was designed for early Ford Broncos. It is listed for $149 on the Bronco Graveyard website. I can’t confirm if these are rare or not.

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Originally posted on June 8, 2023: The seller of these Hub Lok hubs for jeeps sold the hubs with the original installation and operation instructions! The manual accompanying the hubs confirms that the Hub Lok hubs were sold by Dana and/or Spicer, which is what we thought, but lacked physical evidence as proof.

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An original dash sticker? Probably not another one of these around!hub-lock-dana-spicer-hubs11

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Wood Top on Rescued Jeep

• CATEGORIES: Features, Wood bodies • TAGS: This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

Jordi bought this CJ-2A with an interesting hardtop (the plates indicate this is a jeep outside the US) and posted pics to Facebook. To me, this top looks most like a Station Wagons, Inc, body.  The suicide doors and certain elements are extremely close (especially in the Pop Mech ad), but not exact.

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Popular Mechanics Ad from the January 1948 issue of Popular Mechanics, pg 266.  This ad appeared in the February 1948 issue as well.

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Fiberglass Jeep-looking Body for VW Chassis

• CATEGORIES: Features, VEEP (VW Jeep), Scamp, Others • TAGS: This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

Jason posted these pics of a jeep-looking fiberglass body with some unique aspects to Facebook. The hood is lower than usual vis-a-vis the fenders, the rear fender wells have a flare modeling into it, the rear mid-section looks slightly longer, it has a step with a runner along the entire side, and the rear has a unique flare on the back. Also, it is interesting that the top edge around the back is about as thick as a Bobcat or Parkette body.

According the discussion on Facebook, “I was told by the owner there was a local guy he in nh that was big into fiberglass I guess he also built cobra body’s and he made a few of these.” I suspect there aren’t many of these around.

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Al-Toy 1-seat Jeep Seattle, WA **SOLD**

• CATEGORIES: Features, toys This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

UPDATE: **SOLD** Was $50.

Some idiot put the wrong link in this post … fire him!

This is missing the windshield.

al-toy-jeep-seattle-wa

 
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Jeep CJ-5 Camper 1/43 Scale Model 109€ (Euros)

• CATEGORIES: CJ5, Features, Models This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

Blaine spotted this really neat model of a Jeep CJ-5 Camper setup. It’s pretty neat model and unique model that I believe is about 3″ long. It is shipped from Mannheim, Germany. In the post below this one, there’s some history about the camper inventor.

https://www.nasshan.com/en/autocult/ac09017-jeep-cj5-universal-camper-1969-usa

ac09017-autocult-jeep-cj5-universal-camper-1969-usa_6_1280x1280 ac09017-autocult-jeep-cj5-universal-camper-1969-usa_1_1280x1280 ac09017-autocult-jeep-cj5-universal-camper-1969-usa_0_1280x1280

 
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Chuck Prater’s Camper and Dump Bed Prototypes

• CATEGORIES: Camping, Features • TAGS: This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

UPDATE: Originally posted February 20, 2021:

Charles “Chuck” Prater’s (1928-1913) jeep camper has been discussed in the past, but pics of his prototypes are less well known. Chuck must have been a curious kind of guy, because when he was an employee at the circulation department of the Palm Beach Post in Florida he invented an automatic paper bagging machine.

How he got involved with jeeps isn’t well documented, but in the 1960s he developed a unique camper setup that allowed a camper to be ‘hitched’ to the back of a CJ-5. He showed off his prototype to the Palm Beach Post in July of 1968:

1968-07-31-plam-beach-post-charles-prater-jeep-camper-lores

July 07, 1968, Palm Beach Post, Palm Beach, Florida.

From the CJ5camper.com website we have this additional photo of the prototype, year unknown. You’ll note that the camper in the pic above seems to lack the blue color added to the pic below, so this may have been taken after the Palm Beach Post photo?:

year-chuck-prater-camper-test

The Palm Beach reported a few months later on September 25, 1968, that Kaiser-Jeep agreed to manufactured Chuck’s camper idea:

1968-09-25-west-palm-beach-post-jeep-camper-accepted

For reasons unknown at this point, Chuck waited almost two years later (August 24, 1970) to file his patent (approved August 15, 1972). The patent included several illustrations. Below is one of them.
1499078752660894799-03684048At some point after he filed his patent, Waldron Motors presented Chuck with camper #1. Curiously, the caption indicates he patented the idea, then sold it. However, the information above suggests he sold the idea, then patented it?:

first_commercially_producted_cj5_camper_artical_1

This newspaper clipping was posted to thegentlemanracer.com’s site.

Being the inventor he was, Chuck didn’t stop inventing after the development of the camper. He expanded on  his basic camper invention with a similar dump trailer idea. This article comes from the cj5camper.com site and is undated:

first_commercially_producted_cj5_camper_artical_2

I searched but could not find a patent or another other information about the dump trailer.

According to his brother-in-law Sam Williams (see his comment in this post), Chuck built another camper that fit the CJ-7, one which Sam owns.

 

 
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1954? Truck and Camper Durango, CO $5000

• CATEGORIES: Camping, Features, Unusual, Willys Trucks • TAGS: This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

Mike shared this unusual camper. The shape of it reminds me of the late 1940s Book mobiles (or see below post). The box on this truck appears a little taller than the book mobile boxes, so this truck and the book mobiles may be unrelated.

The truck is listed as a 1954, but the grille suggests it is earlier. It’s unclear whether the camper on back is original to the truck (special order for example) or whether someone added the camper later. That said, the interior faux wood and carpet screams 60s or 70s to me. The “Jeep” radio would have also been added at a later date. Note the Warn hubs are IH branded hubs.

The jeep sports a “Rednor & Raine” Jeep sticker from Trenton, NJ, which as of 1965, was a jeep only dealer.  This also has a Princeton Theological Seminary parking permit, which is still an active institution.

https://westslope.craigslist.org/cto/d/durango-1954-jeep-willys-purpose-built/7659761315.html

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Dare County, North Carolina, Jeep Bookmobile

• CATEGORIES: Features, Fire/Police/Industry Vehicles This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

UPDATE: This was originally posted June 18, 2020:

1953-03-dare-county-nc-jeep-bookmobile-truck4-lores

April 1954, Dane County, North Carolina: https://digital.ncdcr.gov/digital/collection/p249901coll36/id/336. The jeep was painted green.

An April 15, 1948, newspaper article in the Winona Republican (Winona, Minnesota) claimed that there were roughly 377 bookmobiles traveling the United States, out of which only one was a jeep.

Two years later, by 1950, the jeep was proving more popular for use as a bookmobile, because it could access rural areas more easily than other vehicles. I doubt there are any records on how many jeeps were used as bookmobiles, but at least one appeared in multiple photos and articles: The Dare County Jeep Bookmobile.

Dare County purchased it’s first jeep in 1950, hence all the photos and news articles on this post. According to the library’s history page: “After the war, the library continued to grow. In 1950, the first bookmobile was purchased – a green Willys Jeep converted for this purpose began making regularly scheduled runs. As there were then no bridges from the mainland or to the Outer Banks, all trips involved ferries. Georgia Harwood retired in 1956, succeeded by Jean Turner Ward, who served as librarian for the next fifteen years.”

This full page article with photos was published in North Carolina’s News and Observer on April 23, 1950. It appears the new jeep bookmobile had just been put into service.

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Clipping from The News and Observer - Newspapers.com

This next article, which predates the above article by 13 days, was published in North Carolina’s News and Observer on April 23, 1950.

Clipping from The News and Observer - Newspapers.com

North Carolina’s News and Observer on April 10, 1950.

Dare County’s digital archives provided additional photos:

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What a Difference a Dave Makes

• CATEGORIES: Features This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

Two new hats showed up in the mail today. I asked family members, but they didn’t send them, so it must have been one of you guys?

My thanks to whomever sent them. Ann was sure a fan of them!  I will get some use out of them (if I can get them away from Ann).

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Mystery 4WD at Low Tide

• CATEGORIES: Features This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

Blaine shared this pic of a ‘mystery’ 4WD at low tide (I’m assuming in the PNW?). I don’t recognize it (and the bad, but improving eye, doesn’t help), but Blaine does. Can you guess it?

I’m guessing someone had a bad day before time and water turned this to rust.

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Jan 1967 Issue of Jeep News

• CATEGORIES: Advertising & Brochures, Features, Old News Articles • TAGS: This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

Though the issue doesn’t explicitly say it is the January issue, given it discusses things happening in the future in January of 1967, I believe it is the first issue of 1967.

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V6 Emblem Question

• CATEGORIES: Features This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

Maury found this Jeep V6 Emblem with a green-white-gold/yellow color-scheme on eBay. Anyone know on what models it appeared?

You can comment here  http://www.earlycj5.com/xf_cj5/index.php?threads/117161/page-3#post-1797410 or comment below.

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Race Jeep Instructions

• CATEGORIES: Builds, Features • TAGS: This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

Ann fired up her Cricket yesterday and printed out some labels that also act as instructions for starting and managing the jeep. She also add “ON” and “OFF” labels to make clear what switches need to be pressed. Starting the jeep is a five step process:

  1. Power
  2. Fan
  3. Fuel pump
  4. Ignition
  5. Start (button)

In the first pic, the “2-” for the fan label is hiding behind the switch.

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1957 Ad and Merchandise Bulletin for Jeep Pens and Pencils

• CATEGORIES: Advertising & Brochures, Documents, Features This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

UPDATE: I just purchased a set of these off of eBay. The box has a little tear, but the pen and pencil are in good shape.

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Originally posted January 26, 2021: 

Mike shared this September 6, 1957, announcement sent to all dealers about the new Eversharp ‘Jeep’ pens, pencils and sets, now available with the Forward Control ‘Jeep’ FC-170 illustration.

1957-09-06-ad-bulletin-dealer-fc170-pens-pencils1-lores 1957-09-06-ad-bulletin-dealer-fc170-pens-pencils2-lores

 
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Racer Progress Pedaling Along

• CATEGORIES: Builds, Features • TAGS: This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

More progress made on the racer this weekend. The floors are installed and mostly bolted. The pedals are all in place. The steering was in place, but I was unhappy with the final angle of the front support bearing, so I plan to redo that support so that it angles differently. Hopefully, I will get that done and installed today.

Here’s how the rear top crossmember that holds the rear fire extinguisher looks. The two holes on either side are the shoulder strap attachments.

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Here are the three pedals (with the steering drive shaft disconnected from the quick-turn unit).

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One thing I still need are a brake and clutch pedal pad. Any recommendations on what I can use that has a similar mount point and size? (these were from the yellow racer .. I didn’t like the other racer’s pedals). These look to be rubber casings over metal pedals, but both pedal bolts are in bad shape. this is the good one …

pedal2 pedal1

The master cylinders are attached (the brakes are ready to go). I have to get an adapter to connected the clutch line to the clutch master cylinder. Everything is fitting well. I have to say the fire wall turned out better than I thought. Remember, I flattened the old firewall from the yellow racer and re-bent it into the shape I wanted.

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Here side view of the gas pedal setup. One thing I learned from my first race jeep was that having a firm, stable gas pedal was greatly beneficial when racing, due to the bouncing. I could plant the bottom of my foot firmly, while using the top of my foot to feather the gas. This setup is based on what I built for Biscuit, but heavier duty.

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Mahindra’s Thar.e EV

• CATEGORIES: Features This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

Bill shared this article about Mahindra’s EV Prototype called “Thar.e”. Some folks seems to like the design, but I can’t say I’m a big fan. To angular for my tastes. I expect it will have 4 wheel drive or All wheel drive, but those details haven’t been released (or so indicates the article below).

https://carbuzz.com/news/meet-the-mahindra-vision-thar-e-the-willys-jeeps-wild-electric-descendant

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Hagerty Jeep-Related Article

• CATEGORIES: Features, Old Images This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

Bill shared this Hagerty article about the jeep history: https://www.hagerty.com/media/car-profiles/the-appeal-of-the-willys-jeep-knows-no-borders-no-barriers/

As a general history it isn’t too bad, though the author mistakes patents for trademarks in several cases. One photo caught my eye that I don’t remember seeing was taken in 1944 in Paris France. In the photo, a jeep is parked in front of Restaurant L’Ambassade.

After some sleuthing, I figured out the address is 18 rue Norvins, 75018 Paris France The restaurant changed names at some point to Restaurant Le Consulat. It’s located in the heart of France in the Montmartre area, not far from Moulin Rouge and the Arc de Triomphe. Google Earth wouldn’t let me get positioned where I wanted, but I got fairly close to the original camera angle.

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You don’t get the sense from this photo, but the location is at a juncture of several roads. Here’s an overhead screen shot.

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The Jeep GPV Volkswagen From Sandman

• CATEGORIES: Advertising & Brochures, Artists/Drawings, Features, VEEP (VW Jeep), Scamp, Others This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

UPDATE IV: “J” was able to locate and purchase one of these rare sandman GPVs.

sandmand-gpv-vw

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Originally posted Aug 19, 2023, UPDATE III: Jay shared some more pics!

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UPDATE II: After 10 plus years, we finally have a photo of an actual GPV Volkswagen-jeep! Thanks to Jay for sending this photo. I hope we can get some more!

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UPDATE Jan 18, 2013:  I found a second brochure that identifies this as a Sandman GPV

Has anyone ever heard of this Volkswagen/jeep model?  It doesn’t seem to be a VEEP.  Other searches yielded nothing about this unusual rig.

View all the information on eBay

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BROCHURE #2

“original non color folder 8.5 x 5.5 folded , 17 x 5.5 unfolded . This Jeep replica used a Volkswagen chassis . Produced by General Purpose Vehicles , Sandman Sales , Fortworth Texas.

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Wiring 99% Complete

• CATEGORIES: Features • TAGS: This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.
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Helpers helping …

Despite the sauna-like temps, and with ice-water-bottles in front of my sho- fan blasting at full speed, I nearly completed the wiring (a couple things left to do). The principal goal was to secure it to the firewall to limit movement while racing, which should keep connections intact and stop cables from rubbing to bare wire. (On the yellow race jeep I could see where the battery cable had rubbed through the protective outer layer at some point, then it had been patched).

I decided to add a second jumper connection which solely handles the lights. I’ve now got most of the wiring in place in case I want to later add headlights and turn signals. I still need to add a switch to power the gauge lights and rear driving lights (in case I need them for some reason). I also didn’t think about adding a fuse for the rear lights until just now .. oops.

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Ann helped me put the body into place to make sure the wire dropped under the lip of the cowl from the rollbar:

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Heat Spike

• CATEGORIES: Features • TAGS: This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

Yesterday, we had our only heat spike of the season, with temps hitting, but thankfully nothing like 2021 and temps of 116! Today will be 107, followed by around 104 tomorrow. Saturday, the highs will drop to a comfy high 80s. So, without air conditioning in the shop, not much progress will be made.

2023-08-15-weather

I’m currently working through this rats nest and how I want the new wiring junction atop the firewall to be strung. The firewall top sits up to 1.5″ under the cowl in places, so no wires have to go through the wall. There’s also not much rewiring to be done, as I didn’t have to make many changes.

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The remaining floors are about ready to be reinstalled, but I want to make sure everything else is in place before I add them.

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Oops. I was 2″ short on my fuel line. I replaced a rubber hose at the fuel pump side, which gave me enough room to attached this valve.

 
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Oglesby Jeep Silver Grove, KY $50

• CATEGORIES: Features, toys This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

May be a fair price.

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/6501986253253351

“Missing 1 hub cap”

olgesby-jeep-ky

 
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August 1964 Jeep Family Brochure

• CATEGORIES: Advertising & Brochures, Features This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

This August 1964 brochure is part of the first reprint series, but I don’t know what corrections were made from the first run of this brochure. Absent from this family of jeeps are the DJ-3As (and siblings), CJ-3Bs, FCs and any FJs Kaiser jeep may have been producing.

This is the first page. It isn’t a surprise that Kaiser was promotion the new Cherokees and Wagoneers:

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This is the back page of the brochure:

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The brochure opens up horizontally to reveal this page:1964-08-jeep-brochure-2

It then opens up wider to reveal this tri fold page:

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Finally, it opens vertically to reveal the family of jeeps. Note that it includes a top section in the lower right corner, highlighting Meyer-style cabs, though in 1964 it appears the cabs may have been marketed as “jeep” cabs or Orrville cabs, since Meyer didn’t purchase Orrville until 1965.
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UPDATE: February 1960 Jeep News

• CATEGORIES: Advertising & Brochures, Features • TAGS: , This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

UPDATE II: wilpenney brought up an important point. Page 2 of the Feb 1960 issue of Jeep News (shown at bottom) distinguishes between the “Ashtray”, with the semi-circle whirly part that includes cigarette holders, and the “Hostess Tray”, which lacks the semi-circle part. (Perhaps I am the only person who didn’t realize the difference — I was calling them both ashtrays?)

Photos

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UPDATE: These two February 1960 documents reference the “Corner the Market” contest also referenced by the February 1960 issue of Jeep News, as well as the January 1960 issue and the April 1960 issue (I don’t have the March issue).

1960-02-15-corner-the-market-bulletin 1960-02-28-corner-the-market-bulletin

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Originally Published June 03, 2020:

This issue of Willys News shows that Jeep dealers were experience continued growth. This issue also suggests that the ashtrays and cuff-tie-links were introduced in 1960. Anyone have the full page 1959 Nieman Marcus catalog ad of the newly introduced DJ-3A Surrey mentioned on the last page?

Photos Photos Photos

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Jeep Transformers

• CATEGORIES: Features, videos This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

At the bottom of this post is the Bumblebee jeep that became a transformer in one of the transformer movies. A couple days ago, Frank sent me another example (only an image) of a transformer jeep, which led men to a few more as well. I don’t know who created this wagon–>transformer image, but here is a link to where I found a copy: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/290904457152965781/

transformer-wagon

And then there is this one. It seems to be a Mitsubishi-jeep–>transformer:

 

 

And, we have this one with a newer jeep:

transformer-newer-jeep

And, if you got to this link, you can see even more of them. I had no idea!

 

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August 24, 2019: Tim discovered that this is back up for sale. The auction is set for August 31, 2019. Starting price is $20,000.

https://www.auctionzip.com/auction-lot/Bumblebee-2018-Screen-Used-Hero-Willys-Jeep-W-L_A3540B7B53

======================

Previous post from August 2018 with updates:

On August 25th, the jeep (GPW frame with MB body?) used in the upcoming Transformers was up for auction. It’s unclear whether it sold or not (I suspect not). The starting bid at that time was $19,000.

As you can see in the pics, this MB isn’t all stock. It appears to have a GPW front crossmember. Another pic, from the top rear, suggests it has MB toolboxes.

In the movie, the Bumblebee character starts off as a jeep, but soon becomes a VW, remaining a VW for the remainder of the movie.

mb-bumble-transformers-auction3

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Ponca City, OK, Sedan Delivery at Willy’s Car Wash

• CATEGORIES: Features This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

Tim shared these photos from Willy’s Car Wash (). The sedan delivery wagon appears to be an advertising element. Apparently, the business also had a dog wash station? After looking at Google Earth (see bottom pics), this place seems worth a visit if I’m ever nearby!

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I found this imagine online.

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Here are two images from Google Earth:

 

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